LEIGHTON BUZZARD is a parish, 40 1/2 miles from London
by railway, 20 from Bedford, 6 from Woburn, 14 from Ampthill, 8 from
Dunstable, 10 from
Aylesbury,
and 15 from Hemel Hempstead, in the hundred of Manshead, rural deanery
of Dunstable, archdeaconry of Bedford, and diocese of Ely; it contains
the
chapelries of Billington, Eggington, Heath and Reach, and Stanbridge,
and the market town and township of Leighton Buzzard. The adjunct to
the name
is generally thought to be a corruption of Beau-desert though some
have derived it from Bozard, otherwise Basart, the name of an ancient
family, one of whom was knight of the shire in the reign of Edward III.
Some
have conjectured that this is the place called Lyoean Burgh, mentioned
in the
Saxon Chronicles as having been taken in 571 by Cuthwulf, brother of
the King of Wessex. This town (so much increased in importance since
the
opening
of the London and North Western Railway, of which it is a principal
station) stands near the north-western border of the county, and on the
eastern
bank of the river Ouse, or Ousel; it consists of one wide street, branching
off
north and south at the market place. The female inhabitants are chiefly
employed in the manufacture of straw plait. The Grand Junction Canal
runs between the railway and the town. The canal and railway give to
the inhabitants
a ready communication both with the metropolis and the northern counties,
and a branch railway has been formed to Dunstable, a distance of 7
miles. The market-house was rebuilt in 1852. The market is held on Tuesday
for
the sale of corn, cattle, provisions, and other merchandise. In market
place is an extremely ancient Gothic cross, erected in the year 1330;
near the
top are five niches, containing statues of a bishop, St. John, the
Virgin and Child, and others; the height is about 40 feet. In 1852, it
being much dilapidated, it was restored at a cost of £350. The Corn
Exchange, erected in 1862, is a very handsome stone structure, situated
in a commanding
position in the Corn Market, with a good frontage. The Exchange Hall
is spacious, and decorated with Ionic pilasters, corniced and recessed
arched
windows at the side; the ceiling is formed into sunk coffers by enriched
stiles, supported by coved ribs; the most essential points, light,
sound, ventilation, &c., for night, as well as day, have been well tested
and found good. The hall is capable of seating 800 to 1,000 persons. The
design throughout is chaste and original, the front being designed
in the
modern
Italian style of architecture, and deeply moulded and carved pilasters
at the quoins, the whole surmounted by an open balustrade with piers
and carved
urns. In the centre is an open tower projecting over the pavement,
the lower story of which is arched, and the upper one has carved caryatides,
supporting
a deep frieze and bold modillion cornice, over which a beautifully
proportioned
octangular turret rises to the height of about 85 feet, the whole forming
a most imposing facade, and an interesting ornament to the town. The
basement story consists of cellars fro storing wine, &c. Through a
wide entrance corridor, with various offices on each side for merchants,
and
rising by
a broad flight of stone steps, the level of the assembly room is attained,
which is entered from a spacious landing; this room is capable of seating
300 to 350 persons. Attached to the assembly room are retiring rooms,
which, with it, occupy all the space over the entrance and offices.
The architects
were Messrs. Bellamy and Hardy, of Lincoln; the cost of site and buildings
was about £7,500, and the works were executed by Messrs. Osborn
Brothers, builders, Leicester. This is a polling place for the county,
and the
centre of a union under the poor law, consisting of 16 parishes, viz.:
Billington, Cheddington (Bucks), Eaton Bray, Eddlesborough (Bucks), Eggington,
Grove
(Bucks), Heath and Reach, Ivinghoe (Bucks), Leighton Buzzard, Linslade
(Bucks),
Mentmore (Bucks), Slapton (Bucks), Soulbury (Bucks), Stanbridge, Stoke
Hammond (Bucks), and Wing (Bucks). The fairs are generally large (for
horses and
cattle), and are held on February 5, second Tuesday in April, Whit-Tuesday,
July 26, October 24, and the second Tuesday before Christmas-day. The
wool fair (established fifteen years) is held on the first Friday in
July, and
is one of the largest and best in the country. The manor belongs to
Col. H. Hanmer, K.H., who holds courts leet and baron in Whitsun week
and
the last Thursday and Friday in October. The church of All Saints,
which was
formerly collegiate, is a spacious cruciform structure; the prevailing
style of architecture is Early English, and a massive tower, with an
ornamental spire 193 feet high, springs from the intersection: in the
interior are
some ancient monuments. A new church is in contemplation of being built,
at the north end of the town; the public subscriptions amount at the
present
time (1864) to £1,800. The living is a vicarage, int the patronage
of the prebendary of Leighton Buzzard, in Lincoln Cathedral; but the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners have bought the prebend's interest therein,
valued at £193;
the Rev. Thomas Wallis Richards, M.A., of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge,
is the incumbent, and the Rev. William Grayson, B.A., of St. Catherine's
College, Cambridge, is the curate. The Baptists, Wesleyans, Primitive
Methodists, and Society of Friends have places of worship here. A Temperance
Hall has
been erected by two private individuals. Here is an almshouse, founded
in 1630 by Edward Wilkes, and further endowed in 1692 by Matthew Wilkes,
governed
by eight trustees; the income is expended in placing out apprentices
four boys and four girls every six years, and maintaining eight poor
widows, who each receive 6s. weekly, besides fuel and clothing. There
are several
other charities, the funds of which are distributed in bread to the
poor several times in the year. The population in 1861 was 4,882; the
area,
including
its hamlets, is 4,083 acres. The county court is held every month:
the district includes the following parishes and their hamlets:- Aspley
Guise,
Woburn
Sands, Battlesden, Cheddington, Eaton Bray, Eddlisbro', Grove, Hockliffe,
Hulcote, Horton, Husborne Crawley, Ivinghoe, Linslade, Leighton Buzzard,
Mentmore, Milton Bryant, Potsgrove, Slapton, Salford, Soulbury, Stoke
Hammond, Tilsworth, Toddington, Woburn, and Wing.

LITTLE BILLINGTON
is a hamlet of Leighton Buzzard, situated 2 miles south from the
town, and 7 from Dunstable. The villagers are employed
in the straw
plait business.

CLIPSTONE is a small hamlet, 2 miles from Leighton Buzzard,
one mile and a half from Hockliffe, and 4 1/2 miles from Dunstable.

EGGINGTON
is a hamlet in the parish of Leighton Buzzard, from which place it
is 2 1/2 miles, and 5 1/2 from Dunstable. The church is
in the Elizabethan
style of architecture, and has a low square tower containing 2
bells. The incumbent is the Rev. John Hurnall, M.A. The acreage is 1,320;
the rateable value is £96; the population in 1861 was 439.